


Where Youth and Laughter Go

by YoungestThunderbird



Series: Arcadia [5]
Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Prequel Trilogy, Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) - All Media Types
Genre: Adoption, Anakin adopts people, Angst, Fluff, Found Family, Gen, Obi-wan is no longer the Emotionally Competent one, Obi-wan's and Anakin's traumatic childhood, Qui-gon was a flawed human being, Tattoine Slave Culture, and probably should not have been put in charge of a minor, but Obi-wan loves him anyway, in equal proportions, no one is the Emotionally Competent one
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-02
Updated: 2020-10-02
Packaged: 2021-03-07 23:48:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,212
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26766049
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/YoungestThunderbird/pseuds/YoungestThunderbird
Summary: Due to a random kidnapping by our favorite pirate, a piece of Obi-wan and Anakin's past comes loose. The rest of the mess follows. Luckily, they don't have to deal with it alone. Or, the Clones are not the only ones with traumatic childhoods.
Relationships: Alpha-17 & CC-2224 | Cody, Alpha-17 & CC-2224 | Cody & Obi-Wan Kenobi, Alpha-17 & Obi-Wan Kenobi, Anakin Skywalker & Ahsoka Tano, Anakin Skywalker & Alpha-17, CC-2224 | Cody & Obi-Wan Kenobi, CC-2224 | Cody & Zatt, CT-7567 | Rex & Ahsoka Tano, CT-7567 | Rex & Anakin Skywalker, CT-7567 | Rex & Anakin Skywalker & Ahsoka Tano, Obi-Wan Kenobi & Anakin Skywalker, Obi-Wan Kenobi & Zatt, Zatt & Alpha-17
Series: Arcadia [5]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1939405
Comments: 13
Kudos: 560





	Where Youth and Laughter Go

**Author's Note:**

> Kind of a sequel to There is No Never Land, in that the Jinn lineage has more trouble and pain than the rest of the Order combined pre-66. Which did not happen, no it did not.  
> I should note that I take great inspiration from Project0506's Soft Wars series, it's a great read if you like this stuff. 'This stuff' being utterly self-indulgent happy ending fluff.  
> Also, very vague descriptions of childhood neglect, if that would be a trigger for anyone.

It had been such a good day, Obi-wan Kenobi reflected. 

The day had started out nicely. He had woken up, taken tea with Cody, Zatt, and Alpha, and had gotten started on paperwork. He had finished paperwork early and was able to fit in extra lightsaber practice with Zatt, as well as Cody, who had expressed interest in Jedi fighting styles. 

They had a nice midmeal together, teasing Cody for his enthusiasm for this new fighting style, and Alpha for sitting grumpily on the side. Waxer and Boil had dropped in with the latest letter from Numa. 

They had gone on a run with the men when it happened. A ship dropped out of the sky, grabbed Obi-wan in a comically large insect collector’s net and taken off. The last thing Obi-wan remembered was being catapulted into an airlock that filled with a strange green gas. He had held his breath as long as he could, but eventually succumbed to the effects of the gas and his need for oxygen. 

And then he woke up, groaning. The groaning only grew louder when he saw who was in front of him. 

“My friend!” Exclaimed Hondo Ohnaka. Obi-wan put his hand to his forehead, marveling that Hondo managed to create a hangover-type reaction in every sedative he used. 

“What do you want, Hondo?” He moaned. He’d try to play the stoic Jedi Master when his head didn’t hurt so much later. 

“Ah, it is not what I want, my friend, but what your Council wants! Namely, they want you back. And they are willing to pay quite a pretty credit to get you!” The pirate cried in glee. Entirely too much glee for how hungover Obi-wan was feeling. 

“I hope you accept payment in vegetables,” Obi-wan regained enough of his wits to snark back, “Because the only commodity we have an excess of right now, Hondo, is shurra fruit. We fled the Republic, remember?”

“Ah, they will come up with something,” Hondo waved his concerns away, “They always do.”

“And what is keeping me from simply escaping?” Obi-wan asked archly, mostly because Hondo expected him to. After about the fifteenth pirate kidnapping, they had settled into a routine. 

“My friend, I am so glad you asked!” Hondo turned with his usual theatricality to the cell next to Obi-wan. 

“I have... a hostage! As my dear Mama says, if one hostage is good, two are better, especially if they are hostages for each other! So, Kenobi, say hello to your brother!”

For a second Obi-wan thought Hondo had gotten Anakin, too, or even Cody or Alpha. It wasn’t until the figure inside the cell turned around to reveal a human male Jedi about twenty-five years older than him that he felt true trepidation. And that feeling had nothing to do with being kidnapped by pirates. 

“Knight Feemor,” He acknowledged. 

“It’s Master Feemor, Kenobi,” The Jedi replied with the faintest edge of irritation in his voice. 

Obi-wan sighed. 

“I won’t attempt to escape,” he told Hondo wearily. 

“Excellent!” The pirate replied, “And I shall endeavor to be speedy in my negotiations!” He swirled around to go to the bridge, presumably to bother what the Jedi Council. 

“Why am I not surprised it’s you, Kenobi,” Feemor said bitterly. 

“I take after my master?” Obi-wan offered sheepishly. 

“Don’t talk about him,” the edge of irritation in the other man’s voice was much more prominent now. 

“My apologies,” Obi-wan offered. He should have considered that it would still be a sore subject. 

“Just... be quiet,” Feemor sighed. 

Obi-wan sat in silence for a while, thinking. It was a long silence, the kind he hated. 

At least Anakin was coming to rescue him, or so he said over the training bond that they were not technically still supposed to have. He never could bear to be separated from his brother like that. Besides, it was useful. 

Next to him, Feemor appeared to be meditating, though he probably just didn’t want Obi-wan to talk to him again. 

Suddenly, the airlock next to him was breached, and familiar figures in orange and blue raced in. It was really quite impressive, thought Obi-wan reflected that he wasn’t sure how happy he was that his twelve-year-old Padawan was involved in a rescue mission. At least Ahsoka seemed to be his designated partner, she had a good head on her shoulders. 

Anakin, Zatt, and Cody congregated next to his cell, leaving Rex, Alpha, and Ahsoka to take the ship. Anakin hacked the lock to the cell, while Cody took a plasma cutter and broke his shackles. It was probably a bad sign that they had become so used to rescuing him from pirates to develop a routine. 

“Master!” Anakin got to him first, of course, and hugged him briefly before checking him over for injuries. Zatt glued himself to Obi-wan’s side. 

“Get the man in the next cell out, too, Cody, would you mind?” He asked his Commander. 

“Yes, please do, Kenobi. Not all of us are kidnapped often enough to require designated rescue squads,” Feemor called derisively. 

“Knight Feemor,” Anakin said, surprised, “What a... pleasure it is to see you.”

“It’s Master, Skywalker, not Knight,” snapped the man, now fully irritated. 

“Please do pardon Knight Skywalker’s and my ignorance of your promotion, and please accept our belated congratulations, as we were not notified at the time of your ceremony,” Obi-wan drawled tiredly. There. An apology to get Feemor to shut up, wrapped in an admonishment for not telling them. 

“I’ll find my own way back to Dantooine. Being trapped with you here is upsetting my balance,” Feemor snarled and stomped off. 

Anakin sent Obi-wan an apologetic look and sent regret over the bond. 

“It’s not your fault Anakin. I’d have thought he’d forgive at least a little after ten years,” Kenobi murmured. 

Cody and Alpha exchanged a look. 

“Who was that, Kenobi?” Alpha questioned guardedly. His tone implied another question, ‘do I need to detain him?’ 

Kenobi smiled gratefully at their protectiveness; if only it wasn’t necessary. He leaned on Anakin subtly, and the other Jedi leaned back in a small affectionate gesture. 

Obi-wan patted Anakin’s shoulder and rested his other hand on Zatt’s head. Anakin had always hated it when Obi-wan was hurt, especially emotionally. And Zatt was projecting confusion into the force. 

“If the Force was kinder, he would be our older brother,” Obi-wan forced himself to say calmly, hiding the hurt from that particular rejection that had never really gone away. 

He’d never seen Alpha and Cody spin around that fast before. 

...

Anakin kept his arm around his Master and did his level best not to squeeze too tightly or let his anger leak over the bond. The last he had seen Feemor was eleven years ago, about a year into his apprenticeship to Obi-wan, and he was still mad at the man for what he had said then. Never mind what he had said now. 

He focused on a meditative exercise he’s taken up to control his anger.

Why are you angry? Because my brother is sad. 

Why does this make you angry? Because I love my brother. 

Can you change what makes you angry? No; I can’t make Feemor accept Obi-wan. 

But I can try to make Obi-wan less sad. 

He squeezed Obi-wan gently and felt the man squeeze back and project fondness over their old training bond. 

He felt Alpha’s gaze on them and forced himself not to flinch. He was guilty about how he treated him when he was a bratty arrogant Padawan. He didn’t want to think about what he would do if someone treated Rex like he had treated Alpha. 

He registered Obi-wan speaking again. 

“It was a slip of the tongue, it was nothing. I don’t want to bother you,” Obi-wan was insisting. 

“It’s bothering you,” Alpha retorted, “Therefore it was more than a slip of the tongue, and we want to help you.”

“We’re worried, General,” Cody added. 

Anakin smiled sadly. His Master’s Commanders were better brothers than Feemor was, and they hadn’t even adopted each other yet. They should know what had hurt Obi-wan. 

“I think we should tell them, Master,” he said gently, “They need to know.”

His Master’s shoulders sagged a bit. 

“If we are to have this conversation, I would like to not be in a cell,” his Master said tiredly. Anakin nodded, and led them to the Twilight, which he disconnected from the pirate ship and set a course to Dantooine’s orbit. Then he went to the small lounge aboard his freighter. 

Obi-wan was sitting on one of the small couches between Alpha and Cody, with Zatt on his lap. Ahsoka patted the space between her and Rex on the other couch, so he sat. This would not be a fun conversation. 

“Before I begin, I will mention that most of the people that I speak of are dead, so I will not tolerate anyone speaking ill of them,” Obi-wan said. Cheery start, that, but Anakin knew most of this story. And he knew that comment would probably be necessary. 

“My Master was named Qui-Gon Jinn. Before me, he trained two apprentices. One was Feemor; the other was named Xanatos. Xanatos turned Dark before he finished his training, and this hurt my Master deeply.

“Now, Master Jinn was much like Anakin in that he felt things deeply often. However, his feelings would often direct his actions and blind himself to the pain he caused others. This was unfortunately a recurring theme in his life, and one that I hope Anakin never encounters.”

Anakin shuddered. He forced himself not to think of what Palpatine tried to get him to do; trade his brother and the rest of his family for his wife. 

“Now, my Master was so hurt by Xanatos Falling that he repudiated, or disowned, both Xanatos and Feemor, who was already a Knight by that time. He swore to never train another Padawan again.”

Alpha interrupted, angrily, though he was trying to suppress it. Cody and Rex were similarly mad. Of course they were, his kind of thing was anathema to Clones. They wouldn’t dream of leaving family behind like that. 

“So he’s so sad about one kid betraying him that he betrayed the other one?” Alpha said. 

Obi-wan smiled sadly. 

“I did say that he could be blind to the pain he caused others. By the time I was an Initiate, he was known for his vow and his coolness to hopeful prospective Padawans such as myself. The only reason I became his Padawan, or even a Padawan at all as I was almost sent away due to my temper, was a scenario manufactured by Master Yoda; I was sent on the same ship as him to Bandomeer for my assignment to the Agricorps.”

Cody stiffened. He must know the reputation of the place; half peaceful farms, half hellish slave mines. 

“Xanatos, meanwhile, had started to build a financial empire. He captured me and enslaved me in an undersea mine for a short time to taunt Qui-gon, who was not my Master at the time, but did have some responsibility for me as the nearest adult Jedi.”

Cody’s knuckles turned white. Alpha took a deep breath. Next to him, Rex tensed. 

Anakin sympathized. When he had heard this particular story, he couldn’t believe that eloquent, confident Obi-Wan had been a slave. He didn’t want to; even then, he thought Obi-wan had hung the moon. He had been ten, okay?

“Qui-gon rescued me, of course, and I became his apprentice. Feemor felt betrayed by his Master for it, and has never quite forgiven me for somehow managing to secure a higher place in Qui-gon’s esteem than he did, or so he feels.”

Anakin couldn’t help but snort. 

“Sorry, Master, I still don’t believe it. Which of you was left in a child soldier’s war at 13?” he said. He had been angry, really truly angry, for a week after hearing that story from Knight Eerin. 

He had idolized Qui-gon when he had first arrived at the Temple. It had taken an unfortunately short time talking to his Master’s friends to disabuse him of the notion. 

“Qui-gon did love me, Anakin, just as he loved you. But he had a problem trying to balance his loved ones. If one was in danger, or otherwise caused strong emotion in him, the rest became irrelevant. Details, I think he called it, and he was always bad with details. He would forget to eat for days, and forget to sleep for even longer. I think it was a side effect of Xanatos turning; he thought focusing on just the one loved one would keep them by his side. He was a very hurt man, and he hurt others in turn.”

Obi-wan sighed, and wrapped his arms around his front and around Zatt. The little Nautolan boy had kneeled in his Master’s lap and hung his arms around Obi-wan’s neck. 

Anakin remembered being able to do that. That hug, and being able to fit in the vents, were the two things he missed most about his early Padawanship. He tried to send the feeling of the hug, comfort and safety and security, over the bond. Obi-wan sent appreciation and love back. 

He couldn’t actually hug his master like that anymore; it’s hard to do when you’re bigger than the person you want to hug. He settled for for putting and arm over Ahsoka and one over Rex, and pulling them close to him. There were merits of being larger as well. 

...

Rex was more than a little shell-shocked at this Obi-wan’s speech. How could anyone not want General Kenobi? He was the epitome of what a Jedi should be! Even he knew that, and he was a Clone!

Though perhaps it was more obvious to him because his own General, Kenobi’s Padawan, strove to be like him in every way feasible. 

He leaned into Anakin’s side, feeling slightly nervous. The talk didn’t seem to be over. 

Cody broke the silence. 

“You said ‘our brother’ earlier. I assume you are not referring to Xanatos with that phrase,” he cautiously stated. 

Obi-wan sighed. 

“Our lineage is complicated,” he admitted, “Perhaps I should let Anakin tell you. Rest assured, Xanatos is dead.”

Rex felt Anakin tense up next to him. He and Ahsoka exchanged worried looks. 

“As most of you know, I was a slave until I was nine,” Anakin said evenly. Too evenly. Alpha blinked; evidently he was the odd one out on that fact. 

Rex wished he didn’t know either. He wished it had never happened. 

“When I was nine, the most wonderful thing happened. I met a Jedi. He was big, and strong, and tall as a building. It was Qui-gon Jinn. He helped me win my freedom, and offered to give me training in the Force. I went with him, of course, and met his apprentice, who seemed quiet and nice.”

Kenobi gave a sardonic grin. Anakin gave a more sincere smile back. 

“We got to Coruscant, and went in front of the Jed Council. Qui-Gon, for reasons unknown to this very day, neglected to mention my past as a slave. 

“When the Council decreed that I would not be trained due to fear and other Dark emotions left over from my early life, he put his apprentice up for Knight Trials and took me as a Padawan, or at least he tried to.”

“That’s wrong!” Ahsoka burst out, “Was the apprentice prepared at all for the Trials?”

Rex was confused. On the face of it, it seemed like the Apprentice was being given a rite of passage. However, from Ahsoka and even little Zatt’s reaction, it was something quite different. 

Anakin looked to Kenobi. The Master sighed and stroked his beard. 

“The Apprentice was twenty at the time, which would be in the realm for Knight Trials, or even a bit late. However, due to several long-term missions during his apprenticeship, he did not have all of the class credits necessary to take the Trials. 

“Such a move could have been construed as repudiation, or at the very least grounds for investigation into the conduct of the Master. Due to the sensitive situation, a decision was postponed until the mission was finished,” Kenobi said. Rex had a bad feeling about where he was going. 

“The Council rebuked Qui-gon, and assigned me as his ward for the time being. When he was killed less than five days later, the apprentice took me as Padawan,” Anakin finished. 

Rex looked slowly from his General to Kenobi. The man nodded slightly, and Cody’s knuckles, impossibly, got whiter. 

“He almost disowned you, in front of the Council?” Alpha said slowly. It could not be healthy the color his face was turning. 

General Kenobi smiled sadly. 

“That’s why I refer to Anakin as my brother, despite the more common analogy for Master and Padawan is parent and child. He was my Master’s Padawan first.”

Cody gently put his arm on Kenobi’s shoulder, and when the man didn’t object, Alpha carefully put his arm across Kenobi from the other side. Kenobi obviously needed comfort, even if he wouldn’t admit it. 

Ahsoka spoke up next. 

“Wait, you were a Padawan, and then you took an apprentice? Immediately after you were Knighted?”

“One day before I was Knighted. Our lineage is a little unorthodox that way,” Obi-wan smiled. 

“Master Yoda never forgave us for that, did he?” Anakin asked, smiling fondly. 

“I always thought that he was simply mad that he didn’t need to use one of his convoluted plans for setting up an apprenticeship,” Kenobi mused. 

Anakin laughed, and Rex couldn’t help but snort. Kenobi sighed and took over. 

“I will be the first to admit I wasn’t a perfect Master. I was twenty, and in mourning for a man I had seen killed in front of me by the first known Sith Lord in over a millennium. I didn’t even know Anakin had been a slave for a week into our apprenticeship.”

Anakin blinked. Evidently he hadn’t known that. 

“When did you find that out?” The Jedi Knight asked, “I thought you always knew.”

“The day before your chip was taken out,” Kenobi replied, “I scheduled the surgery as soon as I knew.”

Anakin touched the scar that Rex knew was from that surgery with eyes wide. Cody seemed to have a different priority, though. 

“Killed in front of you? First Sith Lord in a Millennium?”

Anakin exchanged another glance with Kenobi, and clutched Rex and probably Ahsoka tighter. Rex didn’t complain. He could still breathe, and he had a feeling he’d want the comfort soon. 

...

Ahsoka couldn’t say this was a good talk. Enlightening, to be sure, but it brought up a lot of parts of her Masters’ past that revealed just how much they’d been hurt. Her Master was very subdued over the training bond. 

“Before this point, it was thought that the Sith were extinct. There were Darksiders encountered, certainly, such as Xanatos, but there is a difference between a simple Darksider and a Sith. My Master and I engaged in a duel with the Sith Lord with the original idea that he was one such Darksider.”

Anakin cut in a bit, probably for the benefit of the Non-Jedi in the room, with a nod from Master Kenobi. 

“Most of the difference in battle comes down to how competent they are with a lightsaber, what fighting styles they know, and certain Sith techniques to try and mentally overwhelm Jedi.”

Kenobi nodded and took over again. 

“This combatant had all three; He was excellent with a double bladed lightsaber, he was trained in combat forms seen only in Sith holocrons, and he definitely gave us headaches trying to keep him out of our heads,” he smiled sardonically and continued. 

“My Master was separated from me; I was trapped behind a ray shield from the reactor room we were fighting in. The Sith Lord managed to inflict a gut wound on my Master, a lethal one.”

Cody started to squeeze Master Obi-wan tighter. Ahsoka approved. She sent reassurance over the thread-thin bond she had with her Grandmaster, hoping he could feel it. From his smile at her, and then at her Master, he probably did. 

“I managed to defeat him; I thought I’d killed him, bisecting him at the waist and watching him fall down a reactor shaft. My Master died in my arms. I promised him I’d train Anakin, and so I did. There was a very old unused protocol left over from a millennium ago; any Padawan who killed a Sith Lord was promoted to Knight. I was almost afraid my Knighthood would be revoked when Maul turned up again.”

“Maul?” Cody exploded, “That karker has been around that long?”

Ahsoka couldn’t say she disagreed with him. 

Master Kenobi nodded sadly, and for a moment, she wished she could hug him too. However, it looked like all available hug space was taken up by Alpha, Cody, and Zatt, who was doing a credible imitation of an arboreal octopus. So she sent him the impression of a hug over their bond. 

“So you were twenty when you took Anakin as your apprentice, and he was nine,” she said slowly. 

Rex gave her an inquisitive look, so she elaborated a bit. 

“Most apprentices don’t get chosen until they are eleven or twelve, or thirteen even, and most Masters don’t choose an apprentice until they are at least twenty-five. I thought that you took Anakin as an apprentice later, when you’d been a Knight for a couple of years and he was closer to twelve or thirteen.”

Anakin cut in with a bit of a warning nudge to her. 

“Obi-wan was the best Master I could have asked for,” he said resolutely. 

Master Kenobi smiled tiredly. 

“Oh, you know that’s not true Anakin. But I’m flattered by the complement. I still say that you should have been trained by Plo Koon, or maybe Master Windu, or perhaps Yaddle. I did the best I could, but I was not the best Master for you.”

“Banthakark, Master! You were the only one in the whole karking Temple who was willing to see me as a person and not a responsibility or a prophecy child. Even Master Plo was a little too nice to me for the first month! You were the only one who talked to me about my life before the Temple, and made sure I had clothes that fit, and asked what kind of food I liked to eat, and tried to comfort me when I missed my mom, and took the kriffing slave chip out!” Anakin said heatedly. 

Ahsoka was just realizing how being the Chosen One interfered with her Master’s apprenticeship. It must have been lonely, being the unknown subject of a prophecy. And being the only Knight your age with a Padawan. No wonder Skyguy and Master Kenobi were so close. 

“Those things were the responsibility of any Master to their Padawan, Anakin. I made many mistakes that first year too, and after.”

“Yeah, you tried to get help from a bunch of Masters who thought I never should have been taken in in the first place. And you were a little young to have a nine-year-old thinking you hung the stars. And you didn’t have anyone else in your lineage to help you,” Anakin said flatly. 

“What is a lineage, anyway?” Rex asked next to her. Ahsoka blinked. She knew they were forgetting to explain something. 

...

Cody couldn’t help but be horrified at what Skywalker and Kenobi were talking about. It was like a ten-year-old Clone being told to raise a four-year-old cadet without any help from their brothers. 

And this lineage thing sounded odd. Both a Generals were referring to it like a Clone would his batchmates, but it didn’t sound like something they actually had, only something they knew of in theory. 

“A lineage is your family, in Jedi terms. It includes your Master, your Master’s master, any other Padawans that either of them may have had, and your own Padawans. Our lineage, the living ones who have not been repudiated anyway, is Anakin, Ahsoka, Zatt, and myself,” Kenobi said tiredly. 

A family of four people. Four people wasn’t even close to a full batch. Kark, no wonder his General seemed so lonely sometimes. 

“It seems like there should be more people in your lineage than that?” Cody had to venture. The number just didn’t sound right. 

Kenobi flinched, and Skywalker sighed. 

“Dooku was our grandmaster, the man who trained Qui-gon. He’s dead, and so is Master Qui-gon, who was Dooku’s sole apprentice. Of Qui-gon’s apprentices, Feemor and Xanatos were both repudiated; only Obi-wan and myself are still officially members of our lineage.”

So Cody was right. There should have been more people. It seemed this Jinn fellow had really messed things up for his kids. He pushed down some reflexive anger at the man; it was no use, he was dead. And his General still loved him; Kenobi was too forgiving. 

“Feemor’s only lineage are his own Padawans, and he resists contact between us and him. Last time we saw him, he told us to never seek him out again,” Skywalker said, drooping. Cody mentally added Feemor to his kark list. Neither Skywalker nor Kenobi deserved that. 

“Xanatos is dead. Obi-wan took me as apprentice, but we agreed that we were brother-Padawans once I was Knighted. I took Ahsoka, Obi-wan took Zatt. There is no one else in the lineage,” Skywalker finished. 

And when Skywalker was a Padawan, they were a family of two. Kark. 

“We weren’t entirely alone though,” Anakin continued with a mischievous smile, “Obi-wan’s year mates did help when they could. Master Luminara taught me meditation, and Knight Eerin taught me healing. Knight Muln let me tinker on speeders and fighters with him; he’s a Knight Volitans, or Knight Pilot. Master Plo, who is also a Volitans, taught me to fly. Master Vos taught me how to pick locks.”

“I was so irritated at him for that,” Kenobi groaned. 

“It was hilarious,” Skywalker agreed with a smile. 

Kenobi really must have been overwhelmed if he had allowed Vos near a child unsupervised, Cody reflected. Fox had told him stories. 

“I have a holo of that day, actually, on my comm,” Kenobi mentioned slyly.

“Why?” Skywalker goggled at his Master. 

“I petitioned the Council to assign him to Crèche duty for that little stunt,” Kenobi said dryly, “Holographic evidence was vital. And it was such a good holo, I had to keep it.”

He pulled up a holo on his comm to show a blue-tinged picture of a tiny boy with light-colored hair, with a smudged face and an expression that said he’d been caught red handed. Next to him was Vos, with a similar smudged face and expression. 

It was kind of cute. 

“That’s Skyguy?” Ahsoka cut in, “He was tiny! And his hair is weird!”

“Well, even Anakin wasn’t born over two meters tall,” Kenobi said dryly. 

“And I grew up spending a lot of time outside on Tatooine. I had sunblockers, but my hair bleached blond and took ages to grow out,” Skywalker added. He smirked. 

“If you think I looked funny then, you should see Obi-wan,” he added, pulling up a holo of the little blond-haired boy and... that had to be Kenobi. But his hair was less than an inch long, and there was no beard. It seemed wrong to Cody, who had only seen his General like that after the Rako Hardeen fiasco. 

He hugged his General closer at the thought. The man didn’t often allow himself touch, the stupid self sacrificing Jedi he was; might as well make the most of it when he allowed Cody to comfort him, like he would any of his other brothers. 

He registered the background in the holo; they were both sitting at a dinner table with a simple meal on it. 

“When was that?” Kenobi asked. 

“The day I adopted you,” Skywalker said nonchalantly. 

Cody felt his eyebrows go up. Kenobi was also unaware of this development, because he startled violently. Or, well, as violently as Kenobi ever startled anyway. It was like a hiccup on someone else. 

“What do you mean by that, Anakin?” He said, in a slightly strangled voice. 

Skywalker gave a sheepish smile. 

...

Alpha was getting tired of this emotional banthakark. However, he also had the feeling that if he did not learn all he could about his General’s karked-up past, it would come back to bite him in the shebs (1) later. 

But he couldn’t say he didn’t like the opportunity to give his General a sorely needed hug, and he was glad the man trusted him and Cody enough to tell them his hurts like this. He only wished that Kenobi didn’t have these hurts at all; he didn’t deserve to be hurt that way. He was the closest thing Alpha had to an older brother. 

At least Skywalker had grown up. It would have been haran (2) to have this conversation with the whiny Padawan he had been. 

Said Jedi rubbed the back of his head and began to explain. 

“Well, keep in mind that I was nine. You had adopted me by your traditions, and I wanted to adopt you by mine.”

“I certainly don’t remember that happening,” Kenobi said. 

Skywalker shrugged. 

“On Tatooine, there isn’t really any legal registrars for slaves. And you can’t afford a big ceremony, so often it’s just a ritual meal. Meals are important, you know. The other thing you need to know is that a ritual meal consists of both some kind of food and some kind of drink. 

“To get married, one spouse brings food, and one brings drink, and share them in a small meal. The idea is you are completing each other like you complete the meal. 

“For a parent to adopt a child, the parent provides both food and drink. The meaning for that is that the parent provides for the child completely.

“And for siblings to adopt each other, each brings both food and drink, and split each equally and share them. The idea there is that you complete each other with your differences,” Skywalker finished. 

Kenobi raised his eyebrow. 

“I remember that. I thought you just wanted what was on my plate,” he reminisced. 

“Well, it did look tasty, Master,” Anakin admitted, “No one said that you had to suffer to adopt someone.”

“I don’t know,” Rex cut in, “I’ve suffered a lot since you adopted me.”

“That does explain why you wanted to try my grassland-carnivore variant ration bars in exchange for one of yours,” Tano said. 

Kenobi had a look of realization on his face and started rubbing his temples tiredly. 

“Anakin, never tell Master Plo about this little ritual. I have a feeling that he’d host a feast for the entire Order and then mention that he had adopted us all the next day.”

Ahsoka and Zatt snickered. Kenobi sighed and continued. 

“How many people have you adopted in this manner?”

Anakin started counting on his fingers, but soon ran out of fingers. He evidently decided to start counting out loud. 

“Well, there’s you, and Snips, and Zatt,” he began.

“So you didn’t really want to try my ration bars?” Zatt said bewilderedly. 

“Well, that too,” Skywalker assured him, “Trying new foods is the spice of life.”

Alpha remembered he time had accidentally eaten one of the kid’s eel bars, sorry, ‘aquatic-carnivore ration bars,’ and couldn’t hold back a grimace. 

Skywalker continued, “Rex, Echo, Fives, Hardcase, Kix, Jesse, as much of the rest of the 501st as I could, Waxer, Boil, Woolley, Cody, Master Plo, Alpha...”

Alpha snapped his head up. 

“When was this?” He barked. Cody very nearly stood to attention next to Kenobi; evidently he had used his Drill Instructor voice. Oops. 

Skywalker looked down, seeming ashamed. 

“The first thing I should say is that I am truly sorry for how I treated you when I was younger,” he said. 

Alpha nodded. He’d accept the apology, and decide whether to forgive Skywalker later. The Jedi continued. 

“It was before you were reassigned to Kamino, after we found you and Master. I was going to apologize then, but you were out of it enough from painkillers then that I couldn’t apologize properly. So I did the next best thing I could think of, took a ration bar and a hydro pack from your new gear and swapped them with one of mine. You don’t technically have to be together for the meal for it to qualify as an adoption.”

Alpha felt strangely touched. He didn’t like it. Alphas did not have feelings. He caught himself; no, that’s just what they told us. 

Alphas did have feelings, he admonished himself. Just because the Kaminoans said something, didn’t mean it was true. They’d said that the Jedi were wise and intelligent and could take care of themselves, and they couldn’t have been more kriffing wrong about that if they tried. 

Alphas did have feelings. And they had families. And one of these days he was going to tell his family he loved them, once he figured out how. Until then, he’d work at getting better at feelings and getting around what the Kaminoans did. 

“I accept your apology, Skywalker; I wasn’t overly pleasant to be around either, sometimes, when I was a teen,” Alpha settled for saying. He’d forgive the man, a little at a time. The way Skywalker treated Zatt really said a lot about the man in Alpha’s opinion; he’d gotten more patient. And anyone who made Zatt smile that way couldn’t be too bad. 

Cody, the little kark, nodded on Kenobi’s other side, probably relieving his cadet days. Alpha would get him for that. 

...

Zatt could feel the dangerous intent coming from Alpha in the Force, but wasn’t too worried. Alpha felt like that most of the time, and he only ever did things like mess up Cody’s hair, or steal Master Obi-wan’s robes, or tickle Zatt’s sides. 

He had been a little nervous when he first met the man, because Alpha was big and strong, even more so than Cody. And he was new; Zatt hadn’t met him in the introductory period that Master Obi-wan outlined for him to meet the legion in. He smiled, a little, but he was still scary. 

But then he got to know Alpha, and saw how gentle he was with Cody and Master and even Zatt himself. Physically, anyway; Alpha would grouch or even curse at Master and Cody, but he never hurt them. Whenever he touched them, it was like he touched something precious. And he was never mean to Zatt at all, and he gave hugs if Zatt asked. 

Alpha looked really scary, but he never hurt his friends. Zatt wanted to be just like him when he grew up. Of course, Zatt also wanted to be clever and charming like his Master, and punch droids to death like Commander Cody. He had a lot of growing up to do if he wanted to be like all three at once. 

And that’s not even close to how brave Anakin was, and how wild Ahsoka was, and how persistent Rex was. He had a lot of people he wanted to be like. He was lucky they were his family. 

He snuggled further into his Master’s front. His Master was still hurting a little, but it was an old pain and it was slowly healing, he could feel it over their thready, growing bond. He wished he could make it better. 

He wished Master Feemor was part of their family, if only for his Master’s sake. He didn’t understand why anyone didn’t want his Master. His Master was the best! 

But he did have a question. 

“How do you be a good brother?” He asked, curiously. It wasn’t something they taught in classes at the Temple. The entire room kind of stared at each other in surprise.

They did that sometimes when he spoke. It wasn’t like he asked hard questions!

“Well, you look after each other, and you love each other,” said Anakin. 

“You watch each other’s back,” Alpha grunted. 

“You make sure they take care of themselves, kark it,” said Cody, with a significant glare at Master Obi-wan. 

“You have fun with them,” grinned Ahsoka. 

“You also spoil their fun,” smirked Rex. 

“You do what is best for them, and they do what is best for you,” said Master Obi-wan. 

Zatt took a moment to think about everything they said. They were all very wise, and the Jedi Temple always said that he should learn from his wise elders. 

He just had one question. 

“You said Anakin is your brother. Are Alpha and Cody your brothers, too, Master?” He asked. 

Alpha’s face went slack. Cody’s eyebrows raised. Both opened their mouths, like they were going to speak. His Master, however, merely stroked his beard like he did when he was thinking deeply, nodded contemplatively. 

“You know what Zatt,” he said, “I do believe they are.”

Zatt had never seen Cody and Alpha smile so big at the same time before. 

**Author's Note:**

> 1\. a**  
> 2\. h*ll
> 
> The title for this story, unlike my previous works which follow a promised land/paradise theme, comes from a poem called 'Suicide in the Trenches' about how war destroys childhood innocence. I figured it might be appropriate.


End file.
